• by Fern Siegel , November 13, 2019

The just-launched Minnow, a next generation video-streaming guide, is hoping to be one-stop shopping for viewers.

It combines popular premium VOD services, including Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu and Amazon Prime, into a single unified application on TV and mobile. Streaming services HBO Max, Quibi and Peacock will come on board next year.

Minnow is also free. The new app and site place users’ preferred platforms and services into one application. It combines universal search with a social playlist function. Minnow’s goal is more watching and less scrolling to find an appealing show. Think Spotify for streamers.

Viewers can recommend movies and series and link to streaming content. They can also customize lists of their favorites TV shows or movies.

Here’s how it works: Open Minnow to look up mysteries, then settle on a title from the list offered, like Hitchcock's "39 Steps" or Robert Downey Jr's "Sherlock Holmes." Clicking on the title sends you to the streaming app where it’s available, based on the platforms programmed into your settings.

Jes Bickhart, CEO-founder of Minnow, says people already aggregate their airlines on Kayak and Skyscanner and images on Pinterest. “So why do we still browse content offerings platform-by-platform for movies and series?” 

Studies suggest the average person in America spends over 23 minutes every day just scrolling for something to watch. “There has to be a better way to help people find a movie or series simply and on any device,” adds Bickhart.

Minnow is available on iPhone, iPad and Android, Pixel and Amazon Fire tables, as well as Amazon Fire TV devices, Apple TV and Apple 4K, Android TV devices. It plans to expand to Roku in 2020.